Gear drive



Patented Get. 20, 1925.

rssaeai FTENT SYLVANIA.

sor-*treni e oonronsfrron orrnvn- GEAR DRIVE.

Application filed January 3, 1923.

To (fil 3101710111, it may camera:

le it known that L linii iiron'r, a Citizen of the United Statesn and a resident of Essinojton, in the eounty of Dela'ware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gear Drives, of which the followingis a speoification.

My invention relates to a gear drive for loads of great magnitude which are subject to extreme variation and it has for its obieet to provide apparatus of the character de iated which shall perniit the operation of sue-h loads from a power source of oapaoity insufiieient to drive the load peaks direetlyv` all without the imposition of severe strains ou the component parts of the orgranization.

In the aeoompanying drawing, Fig. l is a plan view` partially in seotion, of apparatus embodying one form of my invention: Fii. 2 is a side view, partially in seotion, of the apparatus shown in Fig. l and Fig. 3 is a diagzrammatio view of a` modification of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drivingr of steel mill rolls and in similar applications` a torqne load is developed which is subject to extreme variation and it is desirable to drive this load from aV prime inover of reasonable size and it has aooordingly been proposed to assoeiate a. heavy flywheel with the prime mover in order to absorb energy therefrom when the torque load is low in value, and to supply said energ'.T to the rolls at periods of hiszjh power demand.

lVhen drivinfz steel mill rolls from an electric motor it has been customary to oonple the motor to a pinion drivine` a relatively 40 large rear which, in turn, is eoupled to the rolls and the flywheel has in general been coupled to the pinion in order to take advantage of the relatively high angular velocity thereof, It will be noted that with this arrangement, during periods of maximum power demand. the inooming energy from the prime mover and also from the fiywheel, passes through only those teeth in contact, thus imposing severe strains on these teeth and neoessitating an extremely heavy gear structure.

In acoordance with the present invention, I' assooiate one or more additional pinions with the main drive gear and I oouple to Serial No. 610,527.

each of said pinions an auxiliary flywheel or other momentum device, so that during; periods of hijh power deniaiid, energy is applied to the main gsear wheel at a plnrality of points, thus distributing the 'strain over a relatively large number lof gear teeth and permitting' the application of a lighter year structure with more even distribution of the strains.

Referring to the drawing` for ay more detailed understandinn' of my invention,l I .show a pair of rolls. at 5, in Fifs. 1 and 2, said rolls hein' such as are ordinarily e1nploj-Yod in steel .mills These rolls are conpled by any suitable means to a main drive near (S which is shown as of the doublehelioal typeN althoinzfh plain gears may be used without departing` from the spirit and o seope of my invention.

A pinion 7 meshes with the g'ear 6 and in turn is conpled to a drive motor 8 and also to a relatively small fiywheel 9.

An additional pinion 10 also meshes with the `kfgear 6 and is further eoupled to a flywheel 11.

The pinions 7 and 10 are shown as mounted in floatina` frames 12 and 13, respeetively, in order to insure better tooth alignment but these frames form no part of the pres; ent invention and are fulhv disolosed in United States Patent No. 940455 issued January 111, 1910. to George VST. Melville and John S. MaCa-lpine.

In the operation of the apparatus thus deseribed. the capacity of the motor 8 is far more than is neoessary to drive the rolls 5 when idling, but when a steel billet eneounters the rolls the power absorption may rise` temporarily to 12000 H. P., whereas the capacity of the .motor 8 would be, for example 4,000 H. P. Aooordingly, during` periods of idling the motor 8 speeds up the meehanism and the fiywheels 9 and 11 absorb a relatively large amount of energy. Vsfhen a billet reaohes the rolls, the `gear 6 is radieally reduoed in speed, and energy is taken np from the flywheels 9 and 11, as well as from the motor 8. and it will be noted that this energy is applied to the gear 6 on opposite sides thereof so that it is transmitted through two separate groups of teeth and applied to the gear 6 in a symmetrioal manner, permitting the insta-llation of a lighter `g'ear with safer metal stresses than would be the case Were a singlelarge fiywheel employeol as has been suggested hitherto.

Inasmuch as the teeth in the drive pinion T are subjected to the driving torque of the motor at all times, it may be advisable to use a relatively small flvwheel at 9 or to even omit this element altogether, choosing such size and Weight at the flvivheel 11 as will impose substantially equal strains at the pinion 10 as arise at the pinion 7.

It Will be obvious that the invention thus deseribed may be carried out still furthcr in that a Q'reater number of pinions and auxiliary flvivheels may be einployed, in order to still further subdivide the total strains.

Thus, in Fig'. 3, I shoiv a gear 6' driven from a motor through a. pinion 7' having a flvwheel 92 and not onl)7 do l employ the pinion 10' With its flywheel 11', but l ma)VY also emplo'y two additional pinions 18 and 14 provided With flvwheels 15 and 16, respectivelv. thus permitting the Construction of a relatively light transmission device with extremcly symmetrical distribution of the transnission strains.

VVhile have shown my invention in but two terms, it will be obvious to those skilled invthe art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other changes and modifications Without departing from the spirit tliereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set :torth in the appended claims.

What I claim is 2-- 1. The combination With means providing a ter-que load subject to abrupt vibration, of means for driving said load including a fear. a pluralitv of pinions meshing` With the gear. said pinions being spaced at substantiallf: euual distances about the periphery ot the l a plurality of freely rotatable inertia embers driven by the respectivc pinionsV` and driving means connected to one of said pinions.

2. The combination With means providing a torque load subject to abrupt vibration, ot means for driving said load embodying a z'ear, a pluralitjy ot pinions meshing With the gjear, each ot said pinions driving a fly Wheel and one of said pinions driving the 'eaix said pinions being` spaced at substantiall)v equal distanees about the periphery of the gjear.

n testimonj.T Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed m v name this 28th day of December, 1922.

IRA SHORT. 

